‘Jurassic World 2’ Rumored to Begin Production in Hawaii in 2017

Despite lukewarm reviews, Jurassic World made more than enough bank at the box office to guarantee a sequel. Universal recently set a 2018 release date for Jurassic World 2, with The Impossible director Juan Antonio Bayona taking over for Colin Trevorrow, who will still work on the screenplay with co-writer Derek Connolly. With just under two years until the next installment in the franchise hits theaters, we’ve been wondering when Bayona & Co. might get to work, and according to a new rumor, it won’t be long from now.

According to Jurassic Outpost, Bayona will begin production on Jurassic World 2 early next year in Hawaii, though the majority of filming will take place at London’s Pinewood Studios. Reportedly operating under the production title Ancient Outposts, there’s a reason the crew isn’t spending too much time in Hawaii: Trevorrow previously told Wired that the sequel won’t be “just a bunch of dinosaurs chasing people on an island,” as that concept has gotten a bit old over the course of four films.

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are set to reprise their roles, with Steven Spielberg returning as executive producer. Although Trevorrow is uncertain how involved he’ll be with the franchise after the upcoming sequel is released, he did say that he was hoping to “set the table” for future installments with his script for Jurassic World 2. As for the plot, Trevorrow offered up this idea:

What if this went open source? It's almost like InGen is Mac, but what if PC gets their hands on it? What if there are 15 different entities around the world who can make a dinosaur?

I guess we’ll find out when Jurassic World 2 arrives on June 22, 2018.